It seems that just a few years ago the six-speed transmission was an attention-grabbing option for a pickup trucks powertrain. Then eight speeds became standard, and now some automakers even offer pickup trucks with 10-speed transmissions. Since its 2021 redesign, Ford fits every F-150 with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

What year did Ford’s F-150 first have 10-speed transmissions?

Ford introduced its first 10-speed F-150 transmission as an option in 2017. With its 2021 redesign, Ford made its 10-speed automatic standard across every trim level and engine option of the F-150.

Ford builds the 2022 F-150’s 10-speed transmission in-house. The Blue Oval brands it as the 10R80 “SelectShift” automatic. But in truth, Ford developed this automatic transmission as a joint project with General Motors.

Why does a Ford F-150 need 10 gears? Firstly, having so many gears means the truck shifts more often, keeping its engine near its most efficient RPM all the time. The RPMs of the engine of a truck with the ZF eight-speed automatic drop 25 percent during an average shift. The RPMs of an F-150 with a 10-speed only drop 20 percent during an average shift–according to Car and Driver.

The second reason Ford went with a 10-speed for its F-150 is efficient highway driving and highway towing. The 2022 F-150’s lowest overdrive gear is actually eighth gear. Why three overdrive gears? Tenth gear is low enough that an unloaded F-150 will use this efficient overdrive in most highway conditions, only downshifting to 9th when accelerating aggressively. But when you set your 2022 F-150 into tow/haul mode, 9th effectively becomes your new top gear, for efficient highway-speed towing.

What Chevy trucks have the 10-speed transmission?

General Motors calls its 10-speed pickup truck transmission the “Hydra-Matic” 10L80. Nearly every configuration of the GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 features this efficient transmission. But when you equip either truck with the base, 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine, it also comes with an older eight-speed automatic.

The Chevy 10L80 was jointly-developed with Ford and is very similar to the Ford 10R80 in the F-150. But both manufacturers engineered their own electronic control systems for the gearbox to best compliment their unique engines.

What transmission does the Toyota Tundra use?

For the Tundra’s 2022 redesign, Toyota build an all-new powertrain with similar specs to a popular F-150 configuration: the i-FORCE 3.44-liter turbocharged V6 and 10-speed automatic transmission. Every third-generation Toyota Tundra features some tune of the same drivetrain.

Toyota does not release a new Tundra very often. The automaker obviously took its third-generation Tundra redesign as an opportunity to survey what is working well in the full-size truck market and implement these best practices in its own pickup. It appears Toyota used the Ford F-150 3.5-liter EcoBoost and PowerBoost drivetrains as its new i-FORCE‘s benchmark.

After Toyota developed its own 3.44-liter turbocharged V6, it selected a 10-speed built by Asin: the AWR10L65 “ECTi Direct Shift” automatic. In the upcoming i-FORCE MAX Tundras, Toyota will channel the Ford PowerBoost drivetrain by sandwiching a 184 lb-ft electric motor between this V6 and its 10-speed transmission.

What trucks have the 10-speed transmission?

Every 2022 Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra has a 10-speed automatic transmission. Most Chevrolet Silverado 1500s/GMC Sierra 1500s also come with a 10-speed, though trucks with the base engine do not. Every 2022 Nissan Titan features a nine-speed automatic sourced from Jatco. Every 2022 Ram 1500 and 1500 Classic leverages a ZF-built eight-speed.

Read more about the 2022 F-150 trim levels, or see a review of the Ford 10-speed transmission’s towing capability in the video below: